Letters to the Farmington editor

News that the City Council thinks Farmington Hills' tax dollars should be spent inspecting single-family rentals is shocking.

What is the "problem" these presumably intelligent people think this use of tax dollars is going to solve? Do they have a definition of "blight"? How many — and what kind of —complaints from tenants who can't get things fixed by their landlords have been logged with the city (or the council)? By how many different tenants? Over what period of time?

Your report in the Thursday, Nov. 13, Farmington Observer says Ed Gardiner, the (tax-payer-funded) city's director of planning and community development doesn't even know how many single-family rentals are in the city. He only estimates there are 2,200. How did he come up with this estimate? This estimated 2,200 is what percent of total single-family units in the city? How many of the estimated 2,200 are suffering some form of "blight," however, it's defined? Why doesn't he estimate that while he's making estimates.

Does he or the council know how much the landlords will raise the monthly rents to cover the added cost imposed by the city? Do they think higher rents will help taxpaying tenants? How many of the council members are tenants? Or know somebody living in Farmington Hills who is a tenant with a problem that hasn't been fixed?

This government driven, bureaucratic, taxpayer funded process for "controlling" the quality of a community's housing stock does not work. The fact that other cities have done it does not mean it works. Show me the statistical documentation of incidents of "blight" (however defined) in other cities: A. Before, and then B. After implementation of such a procedure.

You can't. If and when the bureaucrats establish there is a "blight" problem in the city, there are much smarter ways (less bureaucratic, less costly, less "one-size-fits-all" ways) to approach the problem.

Start by getting a couple good landlords together. They'll give you quick, easy, tenant-friendly, taxpayer friendly solutions to the problem. However, you want to define "blight." But the first step should be to define the problem.

You quote the mayor as saying: "it's not a bad thing, but it's just not needed." Yes, it is a bad thing. And without a definition of the problem, it's a stupid thing. The council's action is typical of how easy it is for politicians to get a "jolly" by spending somebody else's money and imposing a new regulation on the majority in a misguided attempt to "solve" an undefined "problem" presented by a vocal minority.

John Miller

Farmington Hills

Reasons for election results

As they gloat, Republicans could/should realize the reasons for the results:

1. Low turnout showing anger, apathy and disgust about Congress and many state legislators;

2. Resurgence of Ayn Rand’s philosophy as shown by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan that government should not serve people — people should improve their lives by their own efforts regardless of circumstances, otherwise socialism results;

3. Fear about the economy even though gas is now about $3 a gallon, unemployment is under 6 percent, and the stock market is breaking records every day;

4. Money from individuals and extreme right groups, thanks to the Citizens United ruling by The Supreme court;

5. Rapid changes in all aspects of life, including technology and climate which are difficult to explain or understand, and voter suppression as well as difficulty for some citizens to vote in nearby areas;

6. Fear plus uncertainty about terrorism and disease;

7. Non- acceptance or agreement with any policies of a president who was unlike any previous president in race or ethnicity.

The burden after Nov. 4 is on Republicans to benefit and improve the lives of all U.S. citizens and to keep our country safe and respected throughout the world. I have doubts but have hope. I know I will work even harder to make the previous statement a reality.

Hannah Provence Donigan

Commerce Township

Who canceled Halloween?

Hey, who the heck canceled Halloween? Nobody told me about it!

I gotta admit, I was a bit floored at how much of a bust trick or treat night was this year. The trick or treaters are already working against the clock as it is with the later time change. But this year, the melodramatic weather forecasters scared everyone into thinking that the next ice age was gonna hit on Halloween night. The conditions were less than ideal, it was quite windy, with a slight drizzle, but I’ve experienced similar nights. The fact is, when you’re in costume, nippy weather is actually more comfortable than mild temps.

It was jaw-dropping to see how many people didn’t participate, both those passing out candy and those begging for it. Very few homes had their porch light on, and many that did, didn’t even bother answering the door. If nothing else, people should at least leave a bowl of candy on their front porch. The trick or treaters who do come out deserve to be rewarded for their effort.

There were hardly any kids out begging, be it young or old.

When I was a kid in the 1960s, streets were packed with trick or treaters, and most people passed out candy. I don’t know if modern kids think that trick or treating is too lame or if parents are too worried about the dangers out there today, but I have to wonder if one day soon whether trick or treating will even be a tradition any longer and will become obsolete, another relic of the past which no one participates in.

How sad.

Leo Weber

Livonia

WL schools kudos

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Walled Lake Schools community overwhelmingly approved the 10-year renewal for the Non-Homestead and Hold Harmless millages for the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. We are humbled by the support of our community for our students, staff, and schools.

On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to thank each and every resident who participated in the election. I also want to thank the Citizens Committee for Walled Lake Schools who worked tirelessly on this effort.

The millage renewal campaign effort was led by Mrs. Susan Ebeling and a dedicated WLCSD Citizens Committee. Mrs. Ebeling and the Citizens Committee deserve the utmost gratitude and admiration, as they led a campaign that reached out to the whole community.

Thank you to the Walled Lake Schools community for supporting the educational opportunities Walled Lake Schools provides for our 15,000 children and the more than 70,000 residents we serve.

Every child, every day is our philosophy. With this Millage Renewal, our community has supported our children and made a difference for many years to come.

With sincere appreciation.

Kenneth Gutman

Walled Lake Schools superintendent

Voters haven’t spoken

It used to be after an election, I would say to myself that the people have spoken, live with it. Whether my candidate won or lost. But now, with PACs, like labor unions and the Koch brothers, spending billions of dollars on elections, the people have not really spoken. The special interests have.

This isn’t a knock on the electorate either. How does anyone avoid the negative ads, they’re everywhere. The thing that bothers me most is, no one talks about what they will bring to Lansing or Washington, they only talk about what a bad, evil person their opponent is.

Now we have lost any chance of compromise in Washington, we have to live with every decision or lack thereof that comes out of Lansing and the 2016 political ads start next week. Let the fun begin.

Skip Wehrle

Garden City

Have I got this right?

Milwaukee has had vouchers for 23 years and the United States Department of Education ranks them among the very worst urban schools in the country.

Sweden has had privatization and choice for 30 years. They rank below the United States on international testing and are in the process of changing to a public school system.

Chile was schooled in vouchers and choice by none other than Milton Friedman, the father of choice and vouchers. They are no longer financing private schools with public money.

Both “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” have been abject failures. Yet, Detroit News columnist Ingrid Jacques, in the face of charter school failure nationwide, wants more choice and vouchers.

What passes for “reform” in this country is an unmitigated disaster. For too long, we have listened to corporatists, who wish to profit through privatization of American schools and a few wealthy and well-intentioned citizens who are unschooled in how children learn (Bill Gates and Eli Broad).

We need to look for improvement by emulating our high-performing schools (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut) and Finland, a top performing nation that is subjected to standardized testing a grand total of once in the educational life of a student.

Al Churchill

Livonia

Four-legged help

November is here and the weather is getting pretty doggone “ruff” out there.

If you’re an animal lover (or liker) please read on: Homeward Bound Rescue League is an animal foster organization based in Canton. HBRL has many dedicated volunteers, who foster dogs and cats until good homes and loving families can be found for these four-legged friends. They accept animals of all ages.

Many pups come from filthy puppy mills, some are taken in after they have been abused or neglected, and sometimes the previous owner simply had to give up their pet.

Our own experience was to adopt two little pups a few years ago, who we love, and who aren’t so little now. The good folks at Canton’s Pet Supplies Plus allow Carrie Marsh, the director of HBRL, to use their store on select weekends so that the public can come in and see all of the adorable creatures who need homes. (HBRL has a collection box right inside of Pet Supplies Plus’ front door and would greatly appreciate bags of food, used or outgrown collars, leashes, etc.)

Unfortunately, Carrie’s van was broken into recently and all of the supplies that she carts around in her van to support these animals were stolen. Not to mention, this organization operates on a shoe string, with a few nearby vets offering services and then patiently await payment.

HBRL could really use an infusion of money to replace what was stolen and to help with operations. If you’re thinking about getting a dog or cat, please consider checking out its website: www.hbrlmi.org . If you’d like to help, its address is HBRL, P.O. Box 87591, Canton, MI 48187.

Wishing you a purr-fect holiday season.

Karl and Mary Halewicz

Canton

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